Well cleaner



April 28, 1936.

F. N. SCHNERINGER wELL CLEANER Filed Maron Y22, 195s INVENTOR. r/

mgm# A ATTORNEY.

Patented' Apr. 2s, 1936 UNITED STATES WELL CLEANER Frederick Nathaniel Schneringer, South Whittier, Calif., assigner lto C. C. Taylor, Whittier, Calif.

Application March 22, 1933, Serial N0. 662,103

.7 Claims.

This invention relates to well cleaners for removing dbris, rotary mud or other impediments to flow from producing strata into a well hole, and in addition, and more particularly, to a means for removing clogging obstructions from the openings through perforated well casings, which caslngs are frequently employed in oil producing strata and arecommonly known as well screens or strainers.

A principal object of the present contribution to the art is to provide a device which may be inserted into a well casing and lowered to the screen or strainer length thereof, Where it may be operated to force out by powerful suction, dbris, closely packed sand, paraifin, or other deposits clogging the seepage holes from .the producing formation, or between it and the casing, as well also as those impeding passage through screen or strainer openings, in order to permit a free seepage of the product of the well into the casing. n ,Y i Y It is lalso a particular object of the present invention to provide a device of the character de.- scribed in which both pressure and suction from within an extension of the tubing are employed to first force outward and then draw such obstructions into the casing, where they may later be removed or treated by other means well known to the art, rather than to force and leave them outside of the casingwhere they may wholly or partially seal oi the producing strata, or, in case of the screen, may again return to obstruct seepage therethrough. l

A still further Objectis the provision of means to accomplish the abofe objects which may be installed for operation at any desired level in the well and which may be moved from such position to a new location with a minimum of' effort on the part of the operator.

Economy of manufacture and of service, fa-

cility of handling, surety of action and efiiciency of operation are also important ob'jects and qualities of the present invention.

I attain `the above mentioned objects by the devices illustrated in the accompanying` drawing in which- Fig. l is a sectional view of a well casing-screen, my invention (shown positioned within said casing-screen) being illustrated in elevation;

Fig. 2 is a view of the Well casing-screen similar to Fig. l, with said invention shown therein illustrated in longitudinal section;

Fig. 3 is a, sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a like view on line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Similar indicating letters and numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Elements comprising the subject-matter involved in the present invention may for brief perspicuity be described or classied as follows: A indicates a well-screen in the form of a perforated casing, the perforations therein beingl designated by a; B represents any common form of well-tubing, to which is rigidly attached, snugly but slidingly tting the well casing, any suitable packing device C many forms of which are known in the art and the specic construction of which, being no part of the present invention, need not be further described. D is an upper packing device (like and similar to C) said upper packing element D being rigidly attached to a sleeve E, through which tubing B is adapted to closely but slidingly fit. Sleeve E carries means, later to be specifically described, for locking it, with its attached packing element, at 'any selected point within the well casing, which point,

for operative purposes, may be immediately above any series of perforations desired to be cleaned.

Lower packing element C is secured adjacent the lower end of a length of tubing B by abutting against an annular flange l which is welded or otherwise rigidly secured to said tubing, said packing element C being held upward in Contact with its abutment iiange I by a flanged tubingcoupling member 2 screw-threaded on the lower end of said length of tubing.

The upper packing element D is mounted on the lower end of the sleeve E being held in such position against upper abutment flange 3 on said sleeve by collar 4, which is screw threaded on the lower end of said sleeve E. To the upper end of sleeve E is screw threaded a slip expander 5 having a plurality of inclined faces 6 each carryl ing a dove-tailed tenon i slidably fitting a corresponding mortise on the slip hereinafter described.

Slip expander 5 is centrally bored to the same inner diameter as sleeve E, on which, when screwed in place it becomes a part, such bore being enlarged in its upper portion to provide a stuffing-box in which expansible material 8 is compressed by a gland 9 in any well-known conventional manner.

On the exterior of tubing B above the lower' packer C, studs IU-ID are formed, which studs constitute means for detachably vsecuring sleeve E with its packer D, slip expander 5 and its associated mechanism about to be described to said tubing B soas to permit manipulation from the top ofthe well to anchor and release, as desired,

the upper packer D, as hereinafter more fully described.

II-II indicate slips the inner inclined faces of which carry mortise grooves into which the dove-tailed tenons 1 (hereinbefore described) on the inclined faces 6 on slip expander 5 slidingly engage, said dove-tailed and mortised engagement of the slips and their expander being employed to hold the slips in contact with their expander-faces when not in wedged position between the expander and the casing. The upper faces of the slips II--II carry a series of downwardly directed teeth I2 adapted when the parts are in position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing to bite into the interior wall of the casing and hold the parts, appended to the slips and their expander, in anchored position within the casing.

Slips II-II are pivotally connected through depending lugs, formed on their lower ends, by pins I3'-I3 to links I4-III, and the lower ends of links I4-I4 are pivotally secured to extending lugs on sleeve I5 by pins Iii-I6.

A plurality of bowed springs Il-I1, designed normally to expand outwardly at their centersl so as to contact with the walls of the casing, are attached at their upper ends in any suitable manner, as by screws I8 to lateral extensions on sleeve I5a, said bowed springs II-I'I being also likewise secured at their lower ends by screws I9 to extensions 2I on sleeve 20. Both of sleeve members I5a and 20 surround and slidingly engage sleeve E, and sleeve I5 in turn slidingly engages sleeve I5a. 22 is a bayonet slot cut from the lower edge of sleeve 20, which engages a stud 23 carried by sleeve E.

24 indicates an open port through tubing B and 25 a back-pressure valve, which may be of any well known form, controlling a. port 26 in a tubing coupling-member 21. 28 is a screw plug to permit access to the valve for adjustment or cleaning.

29 designates a partition inside of tubing B, closing the bore of said tubing; and 3D and 3| are open ports in tubing B above partition 29 to permit the free flow of fluid into and out of the tubing B above the partition 29.

The installation and operation of the device are as follows: The assemblage of various parts described, and as shown in Fig. 1, with the anchoring mechanism and its associated elements through which tubing B extends is lowered into the casing to a point where the upper packer D will be above a series of perforations, usually beginning with a series at the bottom of the screen, desired to be cleaned. To anchor the upper packer D in such location, the tubing B .(at the top of the well) is turned to the right, the b owed springs I1-I'I, by their frictional engagement with the inner wall of the casing, retarding corresponding `movement of the slip-mechanism and its associated parts, so thatthe stud 23 is moved laterally to the left in the bayonet-slot 22, and in a position at the top of the vertical portion of the slot so that a further slight downward movement of sleeve E imparted by lowering tubing B, will disengage stud 23 from slot 22, the bowed springs I'I-I1 by their frictional engagement with the casing, again functioning to assist in such change of relative position.

When stud 23 is out of bayonet-slot 22, the slips are relatively higher on the inclined faces of the slip-expander 5, and a slight further downward movement of the tubing, communicated to slip-expander 5, will wedge slip-expander 5 between slips II-I I, and the teeth I2 of the latter will bite into the casing and thus anchor sleeve E with its attached upper packer D to the casing.

With the upper packer D thus anchored in the casing, the reciprocation of the lower packer C, within a predetermined narrow range, by the alternate raising and lowering of the tubing'B to which said lower packer C is attached, will cause said lower packer to act in a manner similar to a pump plunger. When, for instance, the lower packer C is moved downward relative to the upper packer D by the manipulation of the tubing at the top of the well, there will be created a powerful suction from the outside of the casing through perforations and into the chamber between the two packers; and when the lower packer C is raised the compressive tendency in the chamber between the two packers will be neutralized by the opening of the valve 25, when pressure in the chamber between the two packers will be expanded through port 24 and said back pressure valve 25. On the other hand, when the lower packer C is pushed downward, valve 25 will close, thus necessitating relief of the partial vacuum in the chamber between the packers by suction through the perforations in the casing. Said downward movement of packer C will also cause fluid in the casing below said packer to pass outwardly through perforations below packer C and up and back into the casing through the perforations above the said packer.

Open ports 3U and 3| permit liquid to enter and leave the portion of tubing B above partition 29, that is to say, when the tubing at the points of location of said ports 30 and 3l, is below the fluid level in the well, iiuid will ow into the tubing therethrough, and when the tubing at the location of the cleaning device is raised above the fluid level any fluid in the tubing will flow out and back into the well.

It will be obvious that various modifications of the design and arrangement of the various parts of my invention may be employed without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim and desire to cover by Letters Patent isz- 1: In a well cleaning a pair of pistons adapted fit the interior ofa perforated well-casing, means to anchor one of said pistons within said casing at any desired point, means adapted to reciprocate the other of said pistons with respect to the first after the latter has been anchored, said reciprocating means between said pistons having a port communicating with the space below the lowermost thereof, and valvular means controlling said port adapted to release compression within the chamber between the pistons.

2. In a device o the character described, a pair of pistons adapted to snugly but slidingly fit the interior of a perforated well-casing, one of said pistons carrying means to anchor it at any desired point within said well-casing, means connected to the other of said pistons adapted to reciprocate it within said casing with respect to its companion piston after the latter has been anchored withinsaid casing, said reciprocating means having a port for intercommunication of the space between said pistons with the space within said casing not between said pistons and means including a valve to preserve suction in the space between said pistons during the sucdevice, the combination or to snugly but slidingly tion stroke and to release compression during the return to position for the next pumping stroke.

3. In a well cleaning device, the combination but slidingly t the interior of a perforated wellcasing, the uppermost of said packing elements carrying means adapted to anchor it at any predetermined point within said casing, the other of Said packing elements being adapted to be reciprocated with respect to the rst of said packing elements by means communicating from the top of the well, said reciprocating means between said pistons having a port communicating with the space below the lowermost of said pistons, and valcular means controlling said port adapted to release compression within the chamber between said pistons.

4. In a device of the character described, a well-casing packer secured to a string of welltubing, a second well-casing packer slidable on said tubing and carrying means adapted to anchor it at a selected point within a perforated well-casing, a port through said tubing at a point located between said casing packers when the same are in operative position and means controlling said port to relieve compression between said packers during relative movement thereof.

5. In a well cleaning device, a pair of packers adapted to snugly but slidingly fit the interior of a perforated well-casing, one of said packers being attached to a string of well-tubing, the other of said packers being slidable' on said tubing and having associated with it means to anchor it at any desired point within.the well-casing, said tubing between said packers having a port intercommunicating with space between said packers and space within said casing not between said packers, and means comprising a valve controlling said port to preserve suction and release compression between said packers during movement of one of said packers relative to the other. 6. In a device of the character described, a

'pair oi' packers adapted to snugly and slidingly flt the interior of a perforated well casing, one of said packers being attached to a string of welltubing extending to the top of the well, the other of said packers being slidable and having associated with it means to anchor it at any desired point within said well-casing, a partition in said tubing dividing the same laterally adjacent the unanchored packer. a port in said tubing below said partition and a back pressure valve controlling said port.

1. In a device of the character described, a well casing packer secured to a string of well tubing, a second well casing packer slidable on said tubing and carrying means adapted to anchor it at a selected point withinv a perforated well casing, and means for relieving compression while preserving suction during relative movement of one of said packers with relation to the other.

FREDERICK NATHANIEL SCHNERINGER.

on said Well-tubing 

